Translation

 

How would the French calendar be translated into English? In The French Revolution: a History by Thomas Carlyle, published in 1837, he wrote, 

“one might say, in mixed English, Vintagearious, Fogarious, Frostarious: these are our three Autumn months...Snowous, Rainous, Windous make our Winter season…Buddal, Floweral, Meadowal, are our Spring season...(dor being Greek for gift) Reapidor, Heatidor, Fruitidor, are Republican Summer”

I think that a better translation for autumn would be: Vintageary, Fogary, Frostary. 

“…instead of the world-old Week, or Se'ennight, make it a Tennight or Décade; -not without results. There are three Decades, then, in each of the months; which is very regular; and the Décadi, or Tenth-day, shall always be the 'Day of Rest.'”

“Decade” already has a meaning in English that it did not in French. “Week” refers already to seven days. If day was metric unit, then we could have a decaday. Tennight is similar to fortnight, which is still used in some countries.. 

Here is the whole extract:

        As to the New Calendar, we may say here rather than elsewhere, that speculative men have long been struck with the inequalities and incongruities of the Old Calendar; that a New one has long been as good as determined on. Maréchal the Atheist, almost ten years ago, proposed a New Calendar, free at least from superstition: this the Paris Municipality would now adopt, in defect of a better; at all events, let us have either this of Maréchal's or a better, the New Era being come. Petitions, more than once, have been sent to that effect; and indeed, for a year past, all Public Bodies, Journalists, and Patriots in general, have dated First Year of the Republic. It is a subject not without difficulties. But the Convention has taken it up; and Romme, as we say, has been meditating it; not Maréchal's New Calendar, but a better New one of Romme's and our own. Romme, aided by a Monge, a Lagrange and others, furnishes mathematics; Fabre d'Eglantine furnishes poetic nomenclature : and so, on the 5th of October, 1793, after trouble enough, they bring forth this New Republican Calendar of theirs, in a com plete state; and by Law, get it put in action.

        Four equal Seasons, Twelve equal Months of Thirty days each this makes three hundred and sixty days; and five odd days remain to be disposed of. The five odd days we will make Festivals, and name the five Sansculottides, or Days without Breeches. Festival of Genius; Festival of Labour; of Actions; of Rewards; of Opinion: these are the five Sansculottides. Whereby the great Circle, or Year, is made complete: solely. every fourth year, whilom called Leap-year, we introduce a sixth Sansculottide; and name it Festival of the Revolution. Now as to the day of commencement, which offers difficulties, is it not one of the luckiest coincidences that the Republic herself commenced on the 21st of September; close on the Vernal Equi. nox? Vernal Equinox, at midnight for the meridian of Paris, in the year whilom Christian 1792, from that moment shall the New Era reckon itself to begin. Vendémiaire, Brumaire, Frimaire; or as one might say, in mixed English, Vintagearious Fogarious, Frostarious: these are our three Autumn months. Nivose, Pluviose, Ventose, or say, Snowous, Rainous, Windous make our Winter season. Germinal, Floréal, Prairial, or Buddal, Floweral, Meadowal, are our Spring season. Messidor, Thermidor, Fructidor, that is tosay (dor being Greek for gift) Reapidor, Heatidor, Fruitidor, are Republican Summer. These Twelve, in a singular manner, divide the Republican Year. Then to minuter subdivisions, let us nture at once on a bold stroke: adopt your decimal subdivision; and instead of the world-old Week, or Se'ennight, make it a Tennight or Décade; -not without results. There are three Decades, then, in each of the months; which is very regular; and the Décadi, or Tenth-day, shall always be the 'Day of Rest.' And the Christian Sabbath, in that case ? Shall shift for itself! This, in brief, is the New Calendar of Romme and the Convention; calculated for the meridian of Paris, and Gospel of Jean Jacques: not one of the least afflicting occurrences for the actual British reader of French History;-confusing the soul with Messidors, Meadowals; till at last, in self-defence, one is forced to construct some ground-scheme, or rule of Commutation from New-style to Old-style, and have it lying by him. Such ground-scheme, almost worn out 'n our service, but still legible and printable, we shall now, in a Note, present to the reader. For the Romme Calendar, in so many Newspapers, Memoirs, Public Acts, has stamped itself deep into that section of Time: a New Era that lasts some Twelve years and odd is not to be despised.* Let the reader, therefore, with such ground-scheme, help himself where needful, out of New-style into Old-style, called also 'slave-style, stile-esclave ;'-whereof we, in these pages, shall as much as possible use the latter only.

The New Calendar ceased on the 1st of January, 1806. See Choix des Rapports (xiii. 83-99; xix. 199.)

* September 22d of 1792 is Vendémiaire 1st of Year One, and the new months are all of 30 days each; therefore:

There are 5 Sansculottides, and in leap year a sixth, to be added at the end of Fructidor.